Jesus said to his disciples:

42 “Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. 47 Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. 48 But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it, and in an hour when he doesn’t know it, 51 and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.”

Matthew 24:42-51 - World English Bible

Matthew 24 marked the fifth and final discourse of Jesus in the gospel. In this section, Jesus taught his followers about the end times and finished with household parables, one about guarding the home compound at night, the other about servants expecting the patriarch of the clan to return home from his travels. The Lord threaded the two stories together with the theme of anticipation, one against attacks of the Evil One (the thief in the night), the other expecting the Second Coming. Notice the apathetic and abusive attitudes displayed in 13:48-49 negated the watchful attitude found in 13:43. In other words, the community leader guarded against evil attacks with anticipation and charity, a watchful eye to the outside, a caring heart to those in the fold. Leaders needed both to receive their heavenly reward at the end of time.

How do you keep watch for the Lord?